Martijn Arnoldus, General Director & Co-founder of Voor je Buurt

Martijn Arnoldus is the General Director and Co-founder of Voor je Buurt, a Dutch civic engagement foundation based in Amsterdam. Voor je Buurt launched voorjebuurt.nl in 2013 and currently runs 12 civic crowdfunding and engagement platforms in the Netherlands and Belgium. Martijn graduated in human geography. He worked as a researcher at the University of Amsterdam and Delft University of Technology before moving to the Amsterdam-based thinktank Kennisland (Knowledgeland) in 2005. Martijn specializes in grassroots innovation, creative and smart cities, creative industries and the digital economy, and social entrepreneurship. He is also chairman of Juttersgeluk, a social enterprise that collects plastic waste from beaches and ‘upcycles’ it into useful products.